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The Gender-Equity Hammer Comes Out
NationalReviewOnline ^ | 24 April 2008 | Christina Hoff Sommers

Posted on 04/24/2008 8:38:24 AM PDT by snarks_when_bored

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The feminist reformers acknowledge that few science departments are guilty of overt discrimination. They claim, however, that subtle, invisible “unconscious bias” is discouraging talented aspiring women. Therefore, the major focus of the equity movement is to transform the academic culture itself — to make it more attractive to women by rendering science less stressful, less competitive and less time consuming.

"...rendering science less stressful, less competitive and less time consuming." Anybody—male or female—who is a scientist or a mathematician will recognize in these goals the full flower of feminist incomprehension of reality. The idea that one could, say, state and prove difficult and original mathematical theorems as a sort of a part-time hobby is beyond stupid...

1 posted on 04/24/2008 8:38:26 AM PDT by snarks_when_bored
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To: RadioAstronomer; longshadow; grey_whiskers; PatrickHenry; headsonpikes; Iris7; Junior; ...

The silliness is palpable...


2 posted on 04/24/2008 8:39:21 AM PDT by snarks_when_bored
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To: snarks_when_bored

ping


3 posted on 04/24/2008 8:40:59 AM PDT by VA_Gentleman (Does Mars have global warming too? Is that why they had a polar cap avalanche?)
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To: snarks_when_bored
The idea that one could, say, state and prove difficult and original mathematical theorems as a sort of a part-time hobby is beyond stupid...

Or imagine doing difficult science and then dabbling in politics--that's beyond mischief.

4 posted on 04/24/2008 8:45:04 AM PDT by cornelis
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To: snarks_when_bored

Engineering programs are five intense years. PreMed similar. Extreme competition and anybody who can’t compete shouldn’t even dream of becoming engineer or doctor. Takes more than talent.


5 posted on 04/24/2008 8:45:18 AM PDT by RightWhale (Repeal the Law of the Excluded Middle)
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To: snarks_when_bored

Waiting for the “Iron my lab coat” comment.


6 posted on 04/24/2008 8:47:08 AM PDT by N. Theknow (Kennedys: Can't drive, can't fly, can't ski, can't skipper a boat; but they know what's best for us)
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To: snarks_when_bored
“Vernon Ehlers ... suggested that we declare science a sport and regulate it the way we do way we do college athletics.”

If he means applying Title IX to science, then we would establish separate “teams” of female scientists, while at the same time eliminating some teams of male scientists - all in the name of gender equity.

7 posted on 04/24/2008 8:51:39 AM PDT by riverdawg
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To: snarks_when_bored
Slightly off topic but,

What is the correlation between the increase in women who are school principles and the increase in boys taking Ritalin and other drugs to control “unruly” behavior.I don't think boyish behavior was even considered an issue unitl the feminists of the late 60's decided public school was overly male centric.

8 posted on 04/24/2008 8:53:27 AM PDT by muleskinner
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To: N. Theknow

I have one better. A friend of mine in social sciences likened the class time for a few of her courses to being on Oprah.

I don’t think there is Oprah - time in the sciences. I know a lot of women who luuuuuv Oprah and probably do link the “new age street therapy” (not my term, but I like it) to intellectual discourse.


9 posted on 04/24/2008 8:54:50 AM PDT by PrincessB ("I am an expert on my own opinion." - Dave Ramsey)
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To: snarks_when_bored; AdmSmith; Berosus; Convert from ECUSA; dervish; Ernest_at_the_Beach; ...
Congressman Brian Baird, a Democrat from Washington State, asked a room full of activist women how best to bring American scientists into line: "What kind of hammer should we use?"
well, I guess the hammer won't be 'equal protection under the law'. Thanks SwB.
10 posted on 04/24/2008 8:57:14 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/_____________________Profile updated Saturday, March 29, 2008)
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To: muleskinner
Image and video hosting by TinyPic

11 posted on 04/24/2008 9:05:42 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/_____________________Profile updated Saturday, March 29, 2008)
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To: snarks_when_bored

As a female electronics engineer, I can’t tell you how much this pisses me off. If women want to go into science and engineering, let them compete with men on a LEVEL playing field.


12 posted on 04/24/2008 9:25:50 AM PDT by chile (Proud Marine Mom)
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To: snarks_when_bored
"...rendering science less stressful, less competitive and less time consuming."

"We'll make it kinder and gentler, you know....more feminized".

There's a reason why engineering is rigorous.

Hearts and Violins and Flowers are wonderful as far as my company is concerned...so long as things are going well. When it hits the fan, though, they want the best possible people in front of the problem...regardless of their gender. And, for the moment at least, it's men that are willing (and able) to work the long hours, to put in the long, last-minute travel, to fix the spur-of-the-moment blowups.

Speaking solely for myself, I don't want a C+ touchy-feely hire designing the bridges that I drive on every day, either.

13 posted on 04/24/2008 9:29:39 AM PDT by wbill
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To: chile
As a female electronics engineer, I can’t tell you how much this pisses me off. If women want to go into science and engineering, let them compete with men on a LEVEL playing field.

Several women of my acquaintance are mathematicians; they, too, would be pissed off by this article, I am quite certain.

14 posted on 04/24/2008 9:29:50 AM PDT by snarks_when_bored
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To: snarks_when_bored
They claim, however, that subtle, invisible “unconscious bias” is discouraging talented aspiring women.

That would be the "rape continuum" so beloved of radical feminists, that has been copied and expanded with respect to racism in Whiteness Studies. It's an invisible, all-pervasive substance that holds the oppressed back and through which the non-oppressed swim like fish, and notice it as little as fish notice water.

It is ironic that this silliness is seriously applied to the field of science, which not so recently shed a similar theoretical nonentity the physicists called The Aether. It had to exist for the theories to work, you see, at least until somebody came up with a new set of theories.

That isn't likely to happen in the social sciences, unfortunately. This sort of thing is very far from scientific. It's a religious doctrine, and heretics will be destroyed. Anyone who thinks I'm overstating the case should try bucking the Diversity industry some time. Best of luck, and have your resume up to date.

15 posted on 04/24/2008 9:31:38 AM PDT by Billthedrill
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To: snarks_when_bored

Quotas of any kind are un-American. This is utter flapdoodle.


16 posted on 04/24/2008 9:33:31 AM PDT by karnage
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To: chile

Your comments echo those of my mother. Though not an engineer, she was a GS-13 working for the Air Force (i.e. she was usually the only woman in the Board room Meeting).

In addition, as one with two daughters, Title IX is a horrible law and should be repealed. What ever happened to competing based upon merit.


17 posted on 04/24/2008 9:39:17 AM PDT by ohioman
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To: CodeToad

Oh brother.


18 posted on 04/24/2008 9:49:14 AM PDT by Travis McGee (--- www.EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com ---)
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To: RightWhale
Engineering programs are five intense years. PreMed similar. Extreme competition and anybody who can’t compete shouldn’t even dream of becoming engineer or doctor. Takes more than talent.

I've been following this stupid Title IX debate for a while. One of the justifications is that there are nw more women in medical and veterinary programs than men, but not in just as challenging physics and engineering programs. What I hate is the idea that they want to implement "co-operative" learning where teamwork and effort are rewarded above problem solving. They want to do to colleges and univeristies what has been done to highschool education - simplify it so more women can graduate.

19 posted on 04/24/2008 10:19:04 AM PDT by doc30 (Democrats are to morals what an Etch-A-Sketch is to Art.)
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To: snarks_when_bored

Bump.


20 posted on 04/24/2008 10:44:28 AM PDT by fdcc
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